FRANCIS HAMILTON (ONCE BUCHANAN). ixi 
2 In 1821 the Marquis of Wellesley, when appointed Lord Lieutenant of Treland, 
invited Hamilton to join his staff. However, Hamilton’s love for a country life and, 
though he does not say so,* his desire to complete the arrangement of his papers 
and notes for publication while he had strength and health to do so, led him to 
decline this kindly invitation. From the letter given below which %; dated Len 
16th October 1821, we gather moreover that, though now in his 59th year 4 
idea of marriage had suggested itself to him. Shortly after this he اا‎ a 
lady named Brooke, by whom he had two children :—(1) Katherine, who died un- 
married in 1839, and (2) John, who ultimately succeeded to the family estates and 
died in 190:. 
“I have had the pleasure of receiving yours of the 23rd March and rejoice at your good luck in 
having had access to the treasures of Nepal. A great part of what I have done there has been 
in а sort lost as having been given to Sir J. E. Smith who is rather indolent and mot likely to 
publish any considerable part of what he has. A Mr. Don, however, who lives with Mr. Lambert, 
to whom I gave duplicates of the collection presented to Sir J. E. Smith, is engaged in publish- 
ing an account of them together with those which you have sent, and I believe has both abilities 
and industry to produce а very valuable work. Whether or not Sir J. E. Smith will allow him 
the use of my drawings and written descriptions I have not learned. Your offer of joining 
me in & work on Nepal is very flattering, but I have no intention of taking upon myself such a 
labour; indeed I have not a single note respecting any of the plants I brought with me from 
Nepal—Smith has the whole. I believe I shall confine myself to publishing commentaries on the 
` Hortus Malabaricus and Flora Amboinensis, having a good many materials for the purpose. You 
have my notes on the Jatter and I should be happy [to] have from you any new information on 
the subject and any corrections that may occur to you from further investigation, which in my 
publications shall be duly. acknowledged. 
My advice to you as an old man of a good deal of experience both in India and Europe 
is, along with your search after science, to collect money as fast as possible and, whenever you 
have a competence, to return to your native country. Already your collection far exceeds what 
you will be able to arrange and publish. From all that I сап learn Copenhagen is vastly 
superior to London for publishing works on natural history. -The expense is much more moderate 
and works of real science are more saleable. Nothing will pass in London without a degree of 
splendour which puts the work far beyond the reach of the man of science. Such, to see works 
of science, must now have recourse to public libraries which contain the splendid works published 
in the great capitals. Brown’s work on the plants of N. Holland, опе of the most scientific 
that has of late appeared, would not sell in London and he was so mortified that I believe he. 
wil publish no more of his Prospectus. xs 
I am vastly obliged to you for offering to add to my collection, but I have none. I have 
given away the whole You will, however, do me a favour in sending me seeds of anything 
that you think will bear the open air in Scotland, where I hope to see you on your way to 
Copenhagen. Between Edinburgh and this your capital is as easy a trip as from Edinburgh to 
London, and from Edinburgh to my house is an easy day’s work, two-thirds of the way by 
water. 
I have sent extracts from your letter to Brewster for the Philosophical Journal and shall send 
the deseriptions of yður two new Genera to Brown for the Linnean Transactions by tbe first 
| Most of the ascounts of Hamilton's life give this lady's name as Miss Brock ; the late J. weed эрезе 
Esq. of Leny, however, gives his mother’s name as Anne Brooke. " "T z ee 8 ее ыа Е said = 
amilton' hter Katherine was senior to her brother, and 1% 18 finite. 
that Hamilton’s daughter Ka 5 14th, 1822, As Hamilton 
has found its way into Burke's 
seems to imply 
another passage that the late J. В. Hamilton, Esq. of Leny, was born on Fe 
himself explains that he was not yet married on 16th October 1831, some error 
usually accurate pages. 
